Fall-board for horizontal grand pianos.



N. 1). HOSLEY. FALL BOARD FOR HORIZONTAL GRAND PIANOS. APPLICATION FILEDAPR. 28. 1909. 99 ,173, Patented July 18, 1911.

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FALL BOARD FOR HORIZONTAL GRAND PIANOS.

APPLICATION FILED 3.28, 1909.

998,178, Patented July 18,1911.

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NELSON D. HOSLEY, OF MERIDEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE WILCOX &WHITE COMPANY, OF MERIDEN, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT.

FALL-BOARD FOR HORIZONTAL GRAND PIANOS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 18, 1911.

Application filed April 28, 1909. Serial No. 492,645.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, NELSON D. HosLEY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Meriden, county of New Haven, State of Connecticut, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Fall-Boards forHorizontal Grand Pianos, of which the following is a full, clear, andeXact description.

My invention relates to improvements in player pianos of the horizontalgrand type and has for its object to provide an improved fall-boardconstruction, particularly adapted for use in connection withinstruments provided with tracker mechanism adjacent to the upper frontpanel directly to the rear of the case.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a front view of a portion of agrand piano, illustrating mainly the location of the tracker cover. Fig.2 is a relatively enlarged view of certain parts, said view being mainlyin section.

1 represents one of the so-called cheek pieces of the piano frame,provided at the ends of the keyboard.

2-2 represent keys.

8 represents the top or lid of the piano which is adapted to fold backin the usual manner.

4 represents the music desk, which is adapted to slide back in the usualmanner in a horizontal grand piano.

The fall-board is constructed of several parts, the part 5 being in theparticular form shown mounted on end brackets G piv oted at 7 to asuitable part of the piano case or frame whereby said section 5 of thefallboard may be oscillated to and fro for the purpose hereinafterdescribed. 8 represents the flap portion of said fall-board, hinged at10 to section 5 and adapted to be turned up and down.

11 is a front strip preferably hinged at 12 to the section 8 of thefall-board, the parts 5, 8 and 11 operating to close in the keyboard.

1% is what is called the key strip; in this instance, said key Strip ishinged at 15 whereby it may be turned down to expose suitable expressioncontrolling devices 16.

While the drawing, Fig. 2 reveals only one of the brackets 6, namely,the bracket at the far end of the part 5, it is obvious that the nearend (removed in Fig. 2) is provided with a similar bracket. By reason ofthe similarity of said brackets, an illustration of one is all that isrequired for a full understanding.

Directly below the music desk 4 and over and in front of thetracker-board 17 is a cover flap 1S hinged at 19 toward its rear andhaving a hinged panel 20 at its front, the lower edge of said panel 20when the instrument is closed lying closely adjacent to a stationarypart 21 to give a finished appearance to the front of the instrumentwhen closed.

lVhen it is desired to operate the instrument mechanically, the lid 3 isturned back and the music desk l is slid back in the usual mannersutlicicntly far to permit the parts 18 and 20 to be folded back toapproximately the position indicated in dotted lines. The fall-board isthen opened; this opening movement involving the lifting of the parts 8and 11 and the moving back of the section 5 and the turning up of thesections 8 and 11 to the position indicated in dotted lines; the frontstrip 11 folding down upon the under side of said section 8, as thedotted lines indicate. By this arrangement the upper edge of .thefall-board when open stands suiiiciently below the tracker-board 17 topermit the operator to readily see the note sheet as it traverses thetracker for the purpose of observing the perforations or erpressionmarkings such as may be contained upon the surface of the note sheet forthe guidance of the operator.

As Shown, the part 20 is a central portion of the front panel and shouldbe of sui'licient length to afford ready access to the tracker and topermit the insertion and removal of note sheets.

\Vhat I claim is:

In a piano, a frame, a keyboard, a cover for said keyboard comprisingtwo parts hinged together longitudinally, a bracket support connected tothe innermost of said i cover parts and supporting the same, and a Ipivotal support on said frame for said bracket support to permit theinnermost of said cover parts to be oscillated to and fro, the outermostcover part being free to be swung to an upright position.

NELSON D. HOSLE Y.

Witnesses FRANK O. dnrrn, L. A. KUHULE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). C.

